Services

Product Innovation & Positioning

New Product Development “Hired Mind”

Add some creative octane to your next innovation project or to your on-going new product development efforts. With over 17 years of product concept generation under my belt, I can bring added creative horsepower to your in-house brainstorming sessions or work off-site. Either way you are guaranteed concepts that are more likely to end up in a store aisle than a reject file. See some examples

Concept Writing, Illustration and Optimization

Clear, compelling copy and simple, telegraphic product illustration are crucial to the success of any new product concept. A great idea that’s poorly executed in concept form is destined to fail. I’ve written and illustrated well over a thousand new product concepts in dozens of categories for both qualitative and quantitative testing, many of which scored above testing norms. I can take your ideas from “cocktail napkin” to finished concept. Or, if you have a concept that’s in need of a better name, benefit line, illustration, product form, or copy, I can help you optimize it and give it a better chance at success in consumer testing and beyond. Learn More

As a creative director in the innovation business for the past twenty years, I’ve witnessed numerous corporate managers force their brand and innovation teams to seek out the latest and sexiest innovation techniques and trends to little or no avail. Although catch phrases such as “think outside the box” and novel techniques like “crowdsourcing” and “co-creation” sound enticing, more often than not the novelty of the “process” actually diminished the team’s ability to stay connected to the Core essence of the brand. Thus, I’ve seen many of these new techniques fail miserably.

This is why I’ve teamed up with top brand strategy and insights professionals to develop the BrandCoresm Innovation Process. This pragmatic and “brand-centric” approach enables innovation teams to create new products and services that are more intrinsically in line with the Core sensibilities of their brand by guiding participants to:

Re-engage with the brand’s Core equities as well as its Core liabilities via multi-cohort “Listening” exercises.

Create richer innovation “mining areas” and product development “drill sites” without straying into the “irrational zone.”

Leverage Core equities and eliminate Core liabilities to create salient and compelling new product concepts more in line with true consumer needs.

Stay connected to the Core essence of the brand while still pushing the limits of creative thinking and idea exploration.

This process is also a wonderful tool for helping marketers keep their brand’s positioning in alignment with changing consumer needs. To see the complete BrandCore presentation and learn how your next innovation project can benefit from this pragmatic new approach to product development, please contact me contact me.